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A site dedicated to discussing a variety of action & martial arts film entertainment. The written and expressive work of the author(s) of Film Combat Syndicate is/are protected by Copyright Law. To send us scoops or share your inquiries, email us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com.

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Currently making its way to screens in Asia this summer is yet another in a slew of Chinese/South Korean film collaborations making the rounds in 2016. And so with director Shin Tae-Ra's new action comedy, Bounty Hunters opening in June, we get Wallace Chung and Lee Min-Ho leading a ragtag quintet of bounty hunters trekking across Asia for a high-profile fugitive wanted by the FBI.

Save your energy for the next seveal years to come if you're the type who's most vigilant when it comes to video game adaptations. If you've been tuning in, you already know of several that are underway through various platforms since the launch of Stories International, Inc. back in 2011 with news panning out just a few years later on forthcoming Sega game adaptations.

If you've been feeling down any this week, the good news is you're still alive and you've made it to Friday - just in time to marvel a bit more at the grandeur of Benny Chan's latest, Call Of Heroes. Sammo Hung directs all the cool action seen in the latest trailers making the rounds including the new one released today.

Well, it only took a little over three months, but now it appears Marvel is *officially* officially confirming the development of a Punisher spin-off series for Netflix. A show had been brewing for a while now with reports speculating its possibility until news broke in January that one would be happening before Marvel's Head Of Television, Jeph Loeb tried walking it back a month later.

Manga author Nagai Go found a means to showcase his craft back in the 1970's and from then on with the popular Akita Shonen print, Cutie Honey, the story of a sexy android superhero on a mission to avenge her "father"'s death at the hands of a horde of supervillains known as the Panther Claw. The property has since stood the test of time through several manga publications therafter, as well as anime and OVA installments and a 2007 live-action drama; Director Anno Hideaki adapted a 2004 live-action film that didn't pan out well for its production company at the time.

I gladly admit that I wished actress Angelina Jolie reprised her role in a third Tomb Raider movie - not so much the second film but the first. Still, I find it interesting that the nearly two-decade old game property from Eidos and Square Enix is in the works for a cinematic reboot, and in today's film climate, it pretty much makes sense.

Lionsgate Premiere unveiled the newest trailer for actor Liam Hemsworth's new lead role as a Texas Ranger cornered into odds with a priest who is much more than meets the eye. The Duel is opening in limited theaters and on VoD on June 24, directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith from a script by Matt Cook with Woodey Harrelson, Alice Braga and Emory Cohen also starring.

It's been maybe eight years since director James Cameron topped himself at the box-office to the tune of nearly 2.8 billion dollars with the hit film, Avatar. We've yet to see a sequel but 20th century Fox is ramping up four sequels to be released almost every other year from 2018 through 2023, which leaves us off another two years before the next film - That's close to a decade's worth of waiting which should hopefully grant our dear director enough time to plot just how he's going to make 10 billion more dollars by the time Avatar 5 rolls around lest there be any franchise fatigue (it's not impossible).

It's understandable that the sting of defeat would ultimately undo anything that was pre-emptively ceremonial. Such was the case for Paris Filmes's postponenent of the new MMA action drama, Mais Forte Que O Mundo: A História De José Aldo following the pound-for-pound Featherweight favorite's UFC 194 defeat against Conor McGregor a month before the film's January release.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: One of the best things about following martial arts action cinema is the young and up-and-coming talent on the rise. As such, one caveat of reading Film Combat Syndicate is following our weekly Hit List wherein time and again you'll find a few updates on the activities involving Jean-Paul Ly, a Cambodian martial artist and actor living in London whose stunt credits include shortfilms like Deep Pan Fury, the JpLp action short, Dead End and the James Bond-inspired Sapphire, and performing stunts in films like Now You See Me 2, Luc Besson's hit movie, Lucy and Joey Ansah's Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist.

My own consumption of anime this year led me to the throes of the paranormal with world presented in the Araki Tetsuro's treatment of Death Note, as inspired by Ohba Tsugumi's 2003-2006 Shueisha manga. Needless to say, Light, the main character of the story, pissed me off the most with a purpose that was far from noble despite his intentions, and the occult he drew from it.

Cue the excitement that looms now more than ever for the first of a final trilogy into Universal Pictures's Fast And Furious saga. Save for some photos that have already begun surfacing from Iceland, the new film, Fast 8, is *officially* officially underway as per the studio's announcement, and of course, with all the familiarity there is with the franchise's use of beautiful women serving as the backdrop for fast cars, underground racing and global action and intrigue, what better way to make it so than a greeting by a large mass hot bikini-clad Cuban hotties?

Actress Zhang Jingchu has long been a prospect of mine since first seeing her in Rush Hour 3 and Tsui Hark's Seven Swords. Gladly she's making another leading lady move this summer with director Pan Anzi's stellar-looking neo-Western, For A Few Bullets and the most recent artwork looks just as delightful.

The 2014 release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was an explosive piece of work from directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and one that definitively put the two on the map for attachment to other projects. Needless to say, they've earned quite a bit of notoriety, perhaps enough to stake a claim in other markers as well, and they did exactly that when it was announced last month that the two would root themselves in both Los Angeles and Beijing under their Anthem & Song banner with the goal of producing films for the Chinese market.

The word as of late is that Sony has begun filming Nikolej Arcel's latest book adaptation, The Dark Tower, following the recent casting news that's been building up through now. For this, word via Variety now confirms actress Viking series co-star Kathryn Winnick for her role in the film, though no details have been outlined as of yet.

To simply allege that the stunt field is without merit when it comes to finding leading talent that can meet the demands of both acting and stuntwork couldn't be farther from the truth. Such people do exist today along with a number of films, a lot of which are independently produced by smaller companies and filmmakers who have been working their way up to some notoriety - people like Hong Kong cinema veteran and stuntman Bruce Fontaine.

With the rescue of actor Ryan Reynolds's career thanks to the heavy-duty success of 20th Century Fox's Deadpool, the co-star of Ariel Vromen's Criminal is finally underway with the production of his latest gig in The Hitman's Bodyguard. Millenium Films made the announcement on Wednesday following news updates building up since late last year with last month revealing Red Hill and The Expendables 3 helmer Patrick Hughes would be sitting in the director's chair for the film’s production in London.

I like that Zhang is getting more screentime nowadays. He's been an eye-catcher in Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster and Ip Man 3 as of late, and if you're not tired of him yet, the good news is he'll be back in stellar form once more, and sporting blonde hair no less, in Jonathan Li's newest film, The Brink, from Hong Kong-based Sun Entertainment Culture and Sil-Metropole Organization

Confession. I got a thing about legends. About legendary people who walked this earth, who had humble, otherwise ordinary beginnings (and perhaps, where some are concerned, lived their entire lives under the premise of this deceptive obscurity only to enjoy posthumous historical glory) but went on to achieve so much during their time on this Earth that their influence spans out for generations and generations, influencing culture (multi-culture) as it appears before us today – indeed, every day; a nameless, faceless, unisex deity.

As obscure as a lot of Chinese cinema has been and continues to be, I was pretty relieved in the last several months as we were all informed of the upcoming North American release of author and filmmaker Xu Haofeng's newest film, The Final Master. The film picked up a few good wins and nominations during recent award shows including a Best Choreography award at the Golden Horse 2015 ceremony and a Film Of Merit win in Shanghai this year, and even on those limited terms, it's unimaginable to me, the prospect of this film not getting more attention.

About fifteen years ago back when VHS tapes used a thing and long after being a viewer to the hit TV show, Acapulco H.E.A.T., I found myself relieved with Isaac Florentine's direct-to-video action flick, U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force, which brought actor Michael Worth back to my own attention as a fan. He's since moved on to directing with films like War Wolves and Killing Cupid, and now with the aid of CNC Movie Factory, his newest effort, The Butterfly Guard, is poised for completion soon, and while it may not be too knee-deep into the action variety, Worth samples us a seemingly worthy protagonist with a story perfect for the kind of contemplative drama being aimed at here.

Late actor Darren Shahlavi will always be remembered for the 25 years in which he's lit up the screen, and largely as a prominent baddie for martial arts fans in films like Tai Chi II, Ip Man 2 and Ernie Barbarash's 2015 thriller, Pound Of Flesh. Moving onward into the new year though, we have at least a few more appearances to expect of Shahlavi including John Stockwell's Kickboxer: Vengeance which opens this Fall, and soon enough, that courtesy now extends over to the latest efforts from shortfilm director Philippe Tullio, from whom the new sci-fi action proof-of-concept, Jaya, now circulates online featuring our main villain opposite parkour extraordinare, actor David Belle of Banlieue 13 fame.

It's pretty unfortunate we don't hear as often as we should when it comes to the action genre scene in Vietnam. When something does get heard, it's worth celebrating even to some extent, and so we now bring our attention to actor and filmmaker Ly Hai with the newest trailer for Lat Mat 2: Phim Troung. The name has a couple of silly idiomatic translations but I'm just going to go out on a limb here with an interpret it as "The Flip Side 2: Film School", following the adventures of the first film that saw a treasure hunt and the involvement of armed mercenaries.

The epic size and scale of what has taken shape in the past year with Japanese supergroup, Exile Tribe, has imaginably been a fun one since last year's Hulu premiere of HiGH&LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D. in Japan. The premise in question, of course, lies in the action-packed drama and brutality that follow when a town ruled by five warring gangs (spell out the S.W.O.R.D. portion in the title) is thrown into upheaval when newcomers enter the arena to tip the balance of power.

Actor, stuntman and parkour extraordinare David Belle has been an outstanding talent for many years now since breaking out with a lead role next to French action talent Cyril Raffaelli in Pierre Morel's 2004 hit, Banlieue 13 and its Ultimatum sequel. He's also popped up in a few titles thereafter with credits on both sides of the camera in Babylon A.D. and coordinating stunts in Oliver Megaton's assassin thriller, Colombiana which is currently up for a sequel (he's also been my personal pick for a hopeful spot as the lead for Fox's Gambit movie - though I've learned to accept its current star if the film happens at all).

Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme has had quite the career sustaining himself as a bonafide action hero in both mainstream and direct-to-video markets. He's one that fans amply love, specifically having left the impression he has with hits like Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Timecop, as well as Sheldon Lettich's 1991 thriller, Lionheart (a remake of the 1975 Charles Bronson film, Hard Times) which saw him as a former legionaire who goes AWOL and returns to his impoverished neighborhood to fight for his late brother's struggling family.

It's been five years since the world saw actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law take on the nefarious Dr. Moriarty in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. The film followed suit from Ritchie's 2009 first from Warner Bros. with Downey Jr. and Law leading the way to box office fruition for an epic adventure centered on respective Holmes and Dr. Watson solve some of London's most mysterious crimes of the late 1800s.

Director Renat Davletyarov has a thing for skin and colorworks for his newest endeavor. Couple these with a few doses of hard-hitting suspense and you have what looks like a stellar opener later this year with action and intrigue for the release of Pure Art later this year in Russia.

I think it's fair to say that almost whenever any kind of super hero movie news makes the rounds speculating that a certain character may or may not make an appearance, the truth in the end will be the opposite. We saw it when we first heard that Robert Downey Jr. wouldn't appear in the third installment of Captain America: Civil War before that was exact opposite was confirmed (comic book aficionados likely knew better), and now after first learning that Hugh Jackman's longstanding X-Men role as Marvel mainstay, Wolverine, wouldn't appear in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse, that all turns out to be a complete falsehood in the initial trailer tease for Monday's third trailer release of the film which opens later next month.

Don't write off actor Jason Statham just yet. He may not be "transporting" anymore, but the 2011 release of Simon West's adaptation of Michael Winner's 1972 Charles Bronson action classic, The Mechanic, boasted high marks of its own at the box office for a worthy sequel as of late 2014, which still very much makes this one prospective of its own success.

I have to hand it to books - continuing to serve as terrific source material for film and TV properties. Bearing this in mind is the latest announcement from Funimation Films for the upcoming limited engagement of Harmony, the third of three of the late Project Itoh's works in the last few years.

Last December saw some fantastic news of upscaling over at Hasbro, Inc.'s Allspark Pictures label to develop a conjoined cinematic movieverse along with Paramount Pictures for several of its properties. As such, an announcement made on Thursday for a writers' room to convene and bring it all together, and who better to lead the charge than award-winning writer Akiva Goldsman? He's recently been running things to help lead producer and director Michael Bay's slew of upcoming Transformers movies and Bumblebee spinoff, and so with his feet already dug in, it appears he's ready for the task, and in the good graces of an arsenal of stellar writers to boot.

S. Craig Zahler, the director of the award-winning Western horror thriller, Bone Tomahawk was previously attached to direct MadRiver Pictures's Breaking The Empire State back in January. If you've been tracking that project, then it looks like that one will have to wait a bit longer with news on a new action thriller set to go into production later this year.

Director Roland Emmerich is back this year to attack the Earth once more as he did in 1996's alien invasion blockbuster, Independence Day. A lot has happened since then as the newest trailer for his upcoming sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, suggests, and all while jam-packed with plenty of sci-fi aerial dogfighting action with the same darn pesky aliens who won't stop attacking us.

Crime and comedy director Emilis Velyvis is seuging into something much more spectacular with a film clearly aiming as his own response to films like Twilight and Underworld. For this, we turn to the less comically-leaning The Night Guard, (formerly Wings) which opens in 3D in Russia this summer and boasting a darker and moodier tone that nonetheless accomodates some big scale visuals, slick editing and action-packed setting.

Director Allan Ungar first impressed me with his 2014 mixed-martial arts revenge drama, Tapped Out. The film put actor and martial artist Cody Hackman on the radar for a lot of us action fans while the star continued to make strides in film under his Hackybox Pictures banner, and now we continue onward with Hackman next to actor Dominic Purcell in an albeit delightful pairing in Ungar's newest, Gridlocked.

You've known his name for fourteen years since he was salvaged from the sea, and you've followed him as he fought his way through swarms of government assassins while trotting the globe in search of his past. Now he's back in director Paul Greengrass's Jason Bourne, and in case you missed it, you still know his name, unless his real name is Matt Damon, but forget all that. Because you know his name!

And to think that film and TV favorite, actor Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Godzilla) was once a prospect for the role of Lex Luthor - nope, still not over it. Still though, his dimensions as an actor are ever noteworthy and he works them quite fine in the costumes he wears as a once-active real-life Federal Agent in director Brad Furhman's new crime bio, The Infiltrator.

Director Renny Harlin's international action comedy, Skiptrace, has been missing for a while with a release once set for last December. A new trailer began circulating in February before news broke that the film would finally release in the U.S. through Saban Films amid waiting for its own domestic release date in Asia.

Coming to UK on DVD next week is another classic entry into the Terracotta Distribution bundle with The Nine Demons. April 25 is the date and with a package that includes the usual remastered goods along with a restored grindhouse English dub track for Western kung fu aficionados of the Chang Cheh variety.

Replete with boxing biopics as of late, 2016 winds up its latest hard-hitter with Jonathan Jakubowicz's upcoming drama, Hands Of Stone. The Weinstein Company is releasing this one on August 26 in the states, and the latest trailer is out and welcoming actor Edgar Ramirez into the spotlight as one of the greatest boxers in history.

I'm already a long sold fan of director Antoine Fuqua, and I don't say that lightly. I dug The Replacement Killers in 1998 as well as thrillers like Training Day and Shooter. I could probably go on all day about how much I enjoyed his 2014 big screen reboot of The Equalizer but I won't; that it's a box office success getting a sequel is enough for me.

Universal Pictures's The Fast And The Furious saga is one that continues to sell itself to succession, fifteen years and seven hit films into its existence. Alas, with director F. Gary Gray's Fast 8 set to officially roll cameras this summer, who better than franchise star and producer Vin Diesel to keep the hype going? Alas, he's done so with the first teaser poster below.

Moon helmer Duncan Jones's latest offering is looking sharper with every second that goes viral. Warcraft is the name, taking its cues from the longstanding popular game from Blizzard Entertainment and in fine form with a release set for June 10.

The forthcoming Justice League films are still taking shape with director Zack Snyder returning to the helm in what will eventually total as four Warner Bros/DC titles. This will likely fare better for some more than others in the wake of divisive responses toward Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, to which our own Khalil Barnett contributed his own clarity on the matter in this terrific review.

10,000 years (or a little over three months) after the casting of actress Elizabeth Banks as screeching intergalactic villain, Rita Repulsa for Saban's Power Rangers, we now have a new photo of the actress in full costume which you can view below from Entertainment Weekly.

We still have a ways to go with Hong Kong film auteur Johnnie To's Three, Election 3, and the upcoming ensemble Hong Kong cinema anthology, 8 And A Half among others. In the meantime, you can expect more from To's ongoing work schedule in the wake of a new announcement for The War Between Huang Di And Chi You, which is brandishing a new banner and teaser.

Any day there's news about action star Jackie Chan is a good day for Chan fans, and in the wake of a new partnership being announced on Tuesday according to THR. Filmmakers Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy) and Oscar-winning Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Tourist) are reportedly joining with Chan's own company, Sparkle Roll Media to produce two films a year under their new banner, Allegory Films.

Last week's events at CinemaCon boasted quite a feat with the upcoming release of Jason Bourne from Universal Pictures. The film's Big Game TV spot earlier this year certainly garnered some excitement as well, and now with a release set for July, a first trailer is finally in tow.

It was last summer that Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World brought Universal Pictures one of its biggest opening weekends of all time, beating all projections at that. Clearly this signals huge favor among fans for monster flicks which is certainly a plus for a franchise that has endured since 1993 and it wasn't long before its June 22, 2018 sequel would make headlines.

Director Jon M. Chu had a bit of a stumble last week when security concerns stifled the CinemaCon screening of his latest film, Now You See Me 2. Thankfully, much of the fervor hasn't dimmed as the sequel following up Louis Leterrier's 2012 first in an era for Chu as he seeks a more grander revival after last year's Jem flop.

It was back in 2014 that we first caught wind of filmmaker Tom Wadlow as his then-developing survival thriller, Rat Catcher, was taking shape. The project remains shelved at the moment following its crowdfunding efforts at the time, while now we look toward his next effort that puts him back in the director's chair for something currently active for completion later this year.

Press is officially underway for the upcoming release of the new thriller, Tik Tok, which opens on July 15 in China. The film spreads its wings a bit for director Li Jun and the shared partnership between production banners, Beijing Hairun and South Korea-based Dhuta Co. Ltd who are reportedly on track to produce several more pictures together after this.

Action star Jason Statham's recently hyped announcement for upcoming action thriller, High Value Target, is apparently still on the backburner, and it's a bit of a bummer. At any rate though, I guess seeing him take on a giant shark will do, as per the latest reports from last week so state for the new thriller, Meg.

Most Read Articles Of The Week

Right about now you're waiting news over any and all pertaining to Chad Stahelski's John Wick: Chapter Three which is still in production. This week, some of the best news to arise now sees word that Tiger Chen, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman have all joined the production starring opposite Keanu Reeves who returns to star.
A few photos have gone viral in recent weeks seeing Chen merely hinting a presence on set but this latest update is official. The three are said to play opposite Keanu Reeves according news over at The Hollywood Reporter with Chen back on set following a starring role in the 2014 kung fu spiritual drama, Man Of Tai Chi.
It's an update worth noting as it hopefully sets up for a larger Hollywood screen presence for all three martial arts stars who've seen their rise in all of the last nine years collectively, including that of Chen whose friendship dates back to production on The Matrix trilogy. Ruhian and Rahman have been earning their claim to…

Well this is spiffy. Who Taffy Edwards is remains a mystery while said individual sits in the directors chair for upcoming independent crime pic, English Dogs. The film is set to arrive sometime this year and has Time Rush actors Byron Gibson (Only God Forgives) and martial arts sensation, action actor Ron Smoorenberg (Asura) leading the cast.
Plot details are nil as things stand, save for what we can extrapolate from the official trailer that premiered on Wednesday in addition to the film's doughty tagline: "There are 340 breeds of Dogs on the Planet but there can only be one Alpha". And that's about all we got to work with along with what the trailer offers in its ambitious British gangster tropes with Thailand as the backdrop, and watching Gibson throwdown along with shots of Smoorenberg in his element on top of chewing some scenery as a crimeboss, which is always welcome.
Check out the trailer below!

The last few years have seen the wheels turn quite a bit for director Jesse Haaja who made history in debuting Finland's first comic book superhero movie, Rendel. Nowadays he's developing other properties including Furrow, but that doesn't necessarily count out prospects for a sequel while genre specialist Raven Banner has anything to say for it.
Such is what includes Jeremy Kay's Screen International report this weekend with word that sales on a sequel to the Finnish superhero hit film have launched at the Cannes market. Producers at Black Lion Pictures and Frozen Flame Pictures are planning an early 2019 shoot on Rendel 2 which has Haaja returning to the helm to follow up the story of a family man previously resurrected from near-death with a brutal, masked alterego to seek revenge in the name of a city crying out for justice against a criminal organization and their pharmaceutical cohorts. “I can’t even describe how excited I am for this,” Haaja said of the ongoing s…

An exasperating wait, no less, for folks like myself who live in the U.S.. Still, it's nice to know that a Blu-Ray/Digital HD release of the new tournament martial arts thriller, Boyka: Undisputed, is well on its way with an August release, while it's even nicer to know that the film's star, actor and martial artist Scott Adkins wants to do a fifth.
He says so at around the 11:40 mark in his latest interview now online following his recent appearance at MCM Expo in London this week to discuss the role and the film as a whole - And not for nothing either as he continues to pound away at fans who enjoy his movies, but insist on stealing them online which will otherwise kill any chance of the film happening before 2030 if we're lucky (my words, not his).
Adkins also shares several new images from his latest, Accident Man, and some gems on Michael Cuesta's American Assassin, working with Tony Jaa on the recently-wrapped ensemble action thriller, Triple Threat, and muc…

With weeks away before cameras roll for upcoming martial arts mobster comedy, Made In Chinatown, we can report that the production will pair director Art Camacho with producer Robert Samuels who will also share the helm as co-director. The news comes roughly one week since Camacho's arrival to the director's chair after replacing another filmmaker who was already attached as the film underwent several months of development.
Camacho and Samuels will direct from a script by executive producer and author Mark V. Wiley that centers on Vinny, a hapless Chinatown resident who, with the help of his sifu and a select few good friends, works to assimilate himself into Italian mob life and gain top-tier status whilst in pursuit of the girl of his dreams. The independent New York City-set action comedy production lands stuntman, world-class wushu stylist and champion Gold medalist, actor Alfred Hsing (Ready Player One, Ip Man 3, Birth Of The Dragon) his first major acting role.
Hungry …

I myself couldn't really get past some of the fan-service that culminates all seemingly ado with the current Kickboxer franchise following the reboot in 2016. I suppose the best part is that Dmitri Logothetis has found a direction to take it in, onward from Vengeance through Redemption and now with the third, Kickboxer: Armageddon. And indeed, that's Alain Moussi in the footage donning a whole new Kurt Sloan we haven't seen before. Brand new look and all!
Other details are officially pending but Logothetis himself has mentioned the possible return of Mike Tyson, Ronadinho and Christopher Lambert in addition to George St. Pierre and other UFC and sports favorites...and Snoop Dogg for some reason? He's also presented a brand new teaser to help stir the fandom some, so check it out anf expect more Kickboxer news onward through 2019.

The May 17, 2019 release of John Wick: Chapter Three pretty much has everyone engaged losing their collective skulls at the moment. Production is already underway and confirming previous rumors of late is actress Halle Berry asserting her place in the cast.
Thus, she'll be joining in with a lot for the film's returning cast members, in addition to a wave of new names totaling actors Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick all reprising their roles, and with actresses Asia Kate Dillon and Anjelica Huston, and actors Mark Dacascos and Jason Mantzoukas to the cast.
The production has released cast cards with the roles all respective to the performers listed for whom Chad Stahelski will direct for Lionsgate for the production's remaining duration. Check it all out below and stay tuned, because I'm ready for more surprises! JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM Cast

Events at Cannes have been a turning point for some film fans highly keen on all things ado with action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Having made a splash this year with buzz for the launch of his Rodin Entertainment sales banner and announcing another slate of film prospects, his latest offering now brings us a pulsating look at Braqueurs helmer Julien Leclerq's new thriller, Lukas, otherwise hailed in our territories as The Bouncer.Lukas, a nightclub bouncer in his fifties who's taken punches, literally and figuratively, struggles to raise his 8 year old daughter. One day, Lukas loses control during an altercation with a client and ends up in jail, while his daughter gets placed under the care of social services. But things take an unexpected turn when Interpol recruits Lukas to bring down a Dutch ringleader operating from Belgium in exchange for his daughter's custody.
The first official teaser and accommodation poster have both arrived and very befitting with one anoth…

About five years ago I managed to interview stuntwoman, actress and producer Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez. It was through her I managed to build a rapport with several other veterans and up-and-comers in the industry whilst getting an angle going on covering the stunt field and it was a privelege to be able to exchange with her than as it still is now from time to time.

She's a talented singer as well - a fact that I was reminded of clean and clear when last year, I managed to screen one of her most recent short film appearances, Pimpkillah, courtesy of filmmaker and comic book creator Sarah Bitely. I think it quite surprised Michelle and that was sort of the feeling I got when I commented on one of her posts at the time.

Alas, the shortfilm has since gone public, marking a significant milestone for the budding filmmaker and comic book creator who moved from her hometown on the outskirts of DC/Baltimore in Maryland to Los Angeles, California in 2010. Her coming out party has assuredly …

Saban Films has kept its own market waiting long enough it seems and thus, the official trailer went live for Pasha Patriki's latest, Black Water, hailing a fifth pairing for action star duo Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. The film is written by Chad Law with a story that centers on a deep cover operative who awakens, imprisoned in the confines of a CIA black site on a submarine and forced in a race against the clock to search for answers amidst a daring escape.Action-movie icons Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren deliver a double shot of adrenaline-fueled excitement in this heartpounding undersea thriller. After a failed mission, deep-cover operative Wheeler (Van Damme) is imprisoned in a CIA black site on a submarine. The CIA agents will to go to any lengths to get information from Wheeler—but nothing can prepare them for the storm of violence that erupts when he joins forces with a fellow prisoner (Lundgren) as deadly as he is mysterious. Black Water opens throu…